A warning by Shin Bet chief David Zini at the latest cabinet meeting about attempts to establish military-style infrastructure and "battalions" in the Bedouin diaspora in the Negev has set off alarm across the South. On Thursday, Dimona mayor Benny Biton responded to the remarks and called on the security establishment to coordinate immediately with regional leaders rather than confine its warnings to the media.
"I think it's only right that, beyond updating the security cabinet, the Shin Bet chief should have convened us as heads of local authorities and explained it to us," Biton said in an interview with ynet. According to him, the leadership of the Negev has been warning for years about weapons smuggling and complex field problems, and therefore cooperation with them is essential.
Biton said that since the Shin Bet chief's warning was published, he has received numerous inquiries from worried residents and leaders across the Negev. At the same time, he believes it is necessary to avoid tarring an entire sector: "You can't throw out a statement like that and say 'here's the next October 7 coming,' and you can't smear the entire Bedouin sector, it's inconceivable."
"A ticking bomb: it requires combined forces"
The Dimona mayor welcomed the Shin Bet's deepening involvement in handling the issue, and noted that even the heads of the Bedouin authorities themselves have demanded the organization's involvement. "If the Shin Bet is finally getting in, and Zinni makes a statement like that, that statement needs to bring us in. We can also be of help to them," he explained.
According to him, dealing with the threat requires a comprehensive response that includes economic enforcement, a war on drug smuggling, creating employment opportunities, and increasing demolition of illegal construction. "There's a real ticking bomb here, and we have to get to the heart of the matter and deal with it," he clarified.
